OHSU

Mary M. Heinricher, Ph.D.

Mary M. Heinricher, Ph.D.Positions

Professor and Vice-Chair for Research, Neurological Surgery
Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience

Contact

heinricm@ohsu.edu; Phone: 503-494-1135; Lab Phone: 503-494-1171; Fax: 503-494-2664; Office: BSAC 0541 Mail Code: CR137

Research Interests

pain, pain modulation, descending control, analgesia, hyperalgesia, circuitry, brainstem, autonomic control, inflammation, cytokines, inflammatory mediators , neuromodulation systems

Preceptor Rotation/Mentorship Availability

  • Dr. Heinricher is available for preceptor rotations for all upcoming academic terms
  • Dr. Heinricher is available for mentorship for the 2012/13 academic year

Summary of Current Research 

The interest of this laboratory is on brainstem mechanisms involved in pain modulation. Our focus is on opioid-sensitive circuits within the rostral ventral medulla, which is a crucial element in a pain-modulating network with links in the midbrain, medulla and spinal cord. This network contributes to the variability in pain sensitivity seen in different situations (for example under conditions of fear or extreme stress), and it is an important substrate for opioids and other analgesic drugs such as cannabinoids. We use single cell recording in combination with pharmacological tools to analyze how this system is activated, and we have identified two distinct classes of pain modulating neurons. ON cells are directly sensitive to opioids, and we recently showed that these neurons facilitate nociceptive transmission. OFF-cells exert a net inhibitory effect on nociception, and we were able to demonstrate that disinhibition of these neurons is central to the antinociceptive actions of opioids within the medulla. Currently, we are interested in identifying neurotransmitters that activate these two cell classes differentially to promote or suppress pain. We are also interested in how this modulatory system is activated under physiological conditions, and are looking at the inputs from limbic forebrain structures such as the hypothalamus to the rostral ventral medulla in an attempt to investigate this issue. 

Previous Positions 

  • Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU, Portland, Ore (2006-present) 
  • Vice-chairman research, Neurological Surgery, OHSU, Portland, Ore (2005 -present) 
  • Professor, Depts. of Neurological Surgery, and Physiology and Pharmacology, OHSU, Portland, Ore (2001 -present) 
  • Associate Professor, Depts. of Neurological Surgery, and Physiology and Pharmacology, OHSU, Portland, Ore (1995-2001) 
  • Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurophysiology, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, Calif (1987-1995) 
  • Research Associate, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, Calif (1986-87)
  • Instructor, Department of Psychology, Division of Continuing Education, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (1982-83) 

Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellow Neuroscience, Univ. California San Francisco, Calif (1983-86) 
  • Ph.D., Neuroscience, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (1983) 
  • B.A., Psychology, University of Missouri, St. Louis, Miss (1977) 

Non-Academic Interests 

Native plants, ethnobotany 

Recent Publications 

Cetas, J.S., Lee, D.R., Alkayed, N.J., Wang, R., Iliff, J.J., and Heinricher, M.M.  Brainstem control of cerebral blood flow and application to acute vasospasm following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage.  Neuroscience, 2009, 163, 719-729. 

Martenson, M.E., Cetas, J.S., and Heinricher, M.M., A possible neural basis for stress-induced hyperalgesia. Pain, 2009. 142: 236-244. 

Heinricher, M.M.., Tavares, I., Leith, J.L., Lumb, B.M.  Descending control of nociception:  specificity, recruitment and plasticity.  Brain Res. Rev, 2009, 60, 214-225. 

Edelmayer, R.M., Vanderah, T.W., Majuta, L., Zhang, E.T., Fioravanti, B., De Felice, M., Chichorro, J.G., Ossipov, M.H., King, T., Lai, J., Kori, S.H., Nelsen, A.C., Cannon, K.E., Heinricher, M.M., and Porreca, F., Medullary pain facilitating neurons mediate allodynia in headache-related pain. Ann Neurol, 2009. 65: 184-193. 

Cetas, J.S., Lee, D.R., Alkayed, N.J., Wang, R., Iliff, J.J., and Heinricher, M.M., Brainstem control of cerebral blood flow and application to acute vasospasm following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage. Neuroscience, 2009. 

Cleary, D.R., Neubert, M.M. and Heinricher, M.M.  Are opioid-sensitive neurons in the rostral ventromedial medulla inhibitory interneurons?  Neuroscience, 2008, 151, 564-571. 

Carlson JD, Heinricher M: Sensitization of Pain-Modulating Neurons in the Rostral Ventromedial Medulla Following Peripheral Nerve Injury. J. Neurosci., 2007, 27, 13222-13231.  

Also see Dr. Heinricher's PubMed Listing